ether

a substance hypothesized by the ancients as filling all space beyond the sphere (noun) of the moon, and making up the stars and planets

the upper regions of space; clear sky

Rare the air

Chem. any of a series of organic compounds having an oxygen atom linking two carbon atoms from two hydrocarbon radicals, generally ROR; esp., ethyl ether, a volatile, colorless, highly flammable liquid, HCOCH, prepared by the reaction of sulfuric acid and ethyl alcohol and used as an anesthetic and a solvent for resins and fats

Middle English from Classical Latin aether from Classical Greek aith?r from aithein, to kindle, burn from Indo-European base an unverified form aidh- from source Classical Latin aestas, summer, Old English ætan, to burn

ether

noun

Any of a class of organic compounds in which two hydrocarbon groups are linked by an oxygen atom.

A volatile, highly flammable liquid, C4H10O, derived from distilling ethyl alcohol with sulfuric acid, used as a reagent and solvent, and formerly used as an anesthetic. Also called diethyl ether . Also called ethyl ether .

The regions of space beyond the earth's atmosphere; the heavens.

The element believed in ancient and medieval civilizations to fill all space above the sphere of the moon and to compose the stars and planets.

An organic compound in which two hydrocarbon groups are linked by an oxygen atom, having the general structure RORˌ◌, where R and Rˌ◌ are the two hydrocarbon groups. At room temperature, ethers are pleasant-smelling liquids resembling alcohols but less dense and less soluble in water. Ethers are part of many naturally occurring organic compounds, such as starches and sugars, and are widely used in industry and in making pharmaceuticals.

A colorless, flammable liquid used as a solvent and formerly used as an anesthetic. Ether consists of two ethyl groups joined by an oxygen atom. Also called diethyl ether, ethyl ether. Chemical formula:C4H10O.

A hypothetical medium formerly believed to permeate all space, and through which light and other electromagnetic radiation were thought to move. The existence of ether was disproved by the American physicists Albert Michelson and Edward Morley in 1887.

(organic chemistry, uncountable) Diethyl ether (C4H10O), a compound used as an early anaesthetic.

(ancient philosophy and alchemy, uncountable) A classical physical element, considered as prevalent in the heavens and inaccessible to humans. In some versions of alchemy, this was the fifth element in addition to air, earth, fire and water.

(archaic, physics, uncountable) A substance (aether) once thought to fill all space that allowed electromagnetic waves to pass through it and interact with matter, without exerting any resistance to matter or energy (disproved by Einstein in his Theory of Relativity).

ether - Computer Definition

Luminiferous ether. The omnipresent passive medium once thought to pervade all space and to support the propagation of electromagnetic energy, even through a vacuum.The existence of the ether was disproved around 1900 by a number of scientists, including Albert Einstein, Albert A. Michaelson, and Edward W. Morley. In 1973, Robert Metcalfe chose the name Ethernet to describe the local area network (LAN) technology he and his associates invented at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (Xerox PARC). See also Ethernet; LAN; Metcalfe, Robert M.; and Xerox PARC.

(1) An invisible medium through which all light, heat and electromagnetic waves propagate. Pronounced "ee-ther" with the "th" as in the word "thought," ether was postulated from the 1600s to the 1800s. The word inspired the name Ethernet.

(2) A group of chemical compounds, the most popular of which is the colorless and transparent diethyl ether, used as a solvent and anesthetic. Diethyl ether was synthesized in the 1500s and named "ether" in the 1700s.

ether - Medical Definition

n.

Any of a class of organic compounds in which two hydrocarbon groups are linked by an oxygen atom.

A volatile, highly flammable liquid, C4H10O, derived from distilling ethyl alcohol with sulfuric acid, used as a reagent and solvent, and formerly used as an anesthetic. In this sense also called diethyl ether

Sentence Examples

Other products were soluble in the ether-alcohol mixture: they were less highly nitrated, and constituted the so-called collodion guncotton.

The purity men love is like the mists which envelop the earth, and not like the azure ether beyond.

The result, was in Helmholtz's words, to establish beyond doubt that ordinary light consists of electrical vibrations in an all-pervading ether which possesses the properties of an insulator and of a magnetic medium.

The crystalline form appears to be due entirely to the carotin, which can be artificially crystallized from an alcohol or ether solution.